Girls Have Cooties & Boys Break Hearts
by fetish 4 carlisle
Summary: If you can't get someone out of your head, maybe they're supposed to be there. Edward is dorky; Bella is broken. What happens when two worlds collide? AH Canon pairings.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi. I own my fuzzy slippers; Twilight not included._

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_**Bella Swan**_

I was having the most amazing dream about a sexy, green-eyed god when –Emmett woke me up. I groaned, chucking a pillow at him and covering my face with my arms.

"Wake up, squirt! It's Friday, we have school, and I won't be able to take you. I'm leaving early to go out for breakfast with Rosalie…" He trailed off before a horn sounded outside. "Oh, that's her! See you at school, Bells!" With that, Emmett ran downstairs and I heard a distant slam of car doors.

"Stupid Emmett…Stupid school…" I muttered as I methodically got ready for school. I knew I was just being stubborn; I actually loved Emmett. He was older than me by a year, very protective of me, and worked out a _lot_. I was surprised my boyfriend had the guts to ask me out with Emmett as my older brother. I got off track for a minute, daydreaming about Jake's gorgeous face, muscled abs, and his big…uhm, hands. Blushing furiously, I reached into my underwear drawer, cursing when I realized that Emmett did not, in fact, do the laundry. Guess I'm going commando. I pulled low-rise jeans (the only clean pair I had) over my bare butt; I hope I don't end up accidentally flashing anyone today.

One dark blue sweater later, I was in my truck with a granola bar in my hand and Linkin Park blasting on the radio. I got to school 20 minutes early; Emmett and his steady girlfriend Rose weren't there yet. They were probably in the janitor's closet of IHOP or somewhere similar…I snorted, shaking my head. Emmett had truly met his match, and her name was Rosalie Hale. They were so perfect for each other; it made my heart swell.

As I stumbled out of my rusty red truck into the parking lot, I dropped my keys into a small puddle. Just my luck. I sighed, bending over to pick them up. In doing so, I heard a low whistle behind me and arms wrapped around my small waist. "Going commando, Bella? But it's not my birthday yet…" a husky voice whispered sexily in my ear, nipping my earlobe.

"Jake!" I breathed, turning around and hugging him. I jumped when he squeezed my ass. "Jacob Black! Behave, there are people watching!" I hissed, slapping his chest.

"I'm sorry" Jacob said, not looking sorry at all. I huffed, crossing my arms. Jacob tried again. "Would you forgive me if I told you I brought you muffins?"

He held out a brown paper bag of chocolate chip muffins, looking sheepish. I cracked, smiling as I took a muffin and nibbled on it. Jacob grinned. "So, I was wondering if my girlfriend would like to go out with me tomorrow afternoon at around 6."

"Oh, well then go ask her! What are you talking to me for?" I teased. His face was priceless. "Bella!"

"Sorry, sorry. Yeah, I'd love to go out with you tomorrow, Jake. Where are we going?"

"Well, there's this great new movie out we could watch…or at least sit in the theatre and make out."

I blushed. "That sounds good to me!" Jacob laughed, kissing my burning cheek sweetly. "Okay. See you at lunch, Bells" he breathed. With one last kiss, I was off to first period English while he went to Gym.

In English, I concentrated less on Macbeth and more on the doodle I was inscribing into my notebook. With a jolt, I remembered my fabulous wet-dream. But who was the sexy green-eyed Adonis? No one I knew. I shook my head; I had everything I wanted with Jacob. I spent the rest of my day in a haze, daydreaming about him. He was sexy, he was caring, and he was—

"A waste of your time, Bella" Rosalie declared in the cafeteria, slamming her lunch tray down. "Jacob Black is a waste of your time. This is the third time he's skipped lunch after promising to spend it with you. He's probably screwing some whore's brains out in a closet somewhere; I'm telling you I don't like that mutt."

"I trust Jacob." I said confidently, "I care about him and he cares about me!"

"What's that I hear, Bella? Jake's not here again?" Emmett boomed as he sat in the seat next to Rose.

"No he isn't, but it doesn't mean anything Em. He's probably making up a test or something." I said, annoyed. Emmett shrugged, feeding Rosalie a grape. Looking for a distraction, I turned to Rosalie's brother Jasper, who was a year younger than her and in my grade. "Hey Jazz, how are you?"

Jasper smiled. "I'm pretty good. What's up with you, Bella?"

"Bored out of my mind. There's no excitement in Forks. I want to move to Chicago, or New York or something."

"Oh! Speaking of Chicago, there's a family moving to Forks from there this weekend. My mom said the Cullens have two kids, both juniors. Look out for them; they should be here on Monday."

I perked up. Mrs. Hale was a real estate agent; she always knew when people were moving in and out, making her a great source for gossip. And as I had said, Forks was getting duller than usual. Two newcomers ought to brighten things up. Jasper looked down again, picking at his food. Rose and Em were making out. I finished eating, staring out the window wondering where Jacob was.

The bell rang, startling me out of my reverie. With a sigh, I made my way to the cafeteria doors, heading to Biology. I found Jacob in the hallway, looking wild with his hair tousled.

"I'm so sorry, Bells! That stupid Mike Newton said you were hot, and so I decked him. Coach saw and said I had to come to his office for lunch. The jackass made me run laps!" I laughed, watching him breathe hard. Leah Clearwater passed us in the hallway, giving me a dirty look while trying to fix her incredible sex hair. I smirked, internally wondering who she had seduced this time.

"Its fine, Jake. I have to cook for Charlie today, but I'll see you tomorrow for our date?"

"Of course, Bella. See you then!" With that, he kissed my forehead and ran off to his class.

After school I made my way over to my truck, carefully avoiding the puddles and other slippery areas. I saw Mike Newton coming towards me, waving his arms wildly to get my attention. I groaned silently. _Dear God, what does he want now?_

"Bella! Bella, hey Bella! Listen, Bella, I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with me? Maybe tonight? What do you say, Bella?" He rambled on nervously. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Mike, you do know I have a boyfriend, right? You know, the one who hit you during gym this morning?" Mike looked confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I just thought you'd like to go out with me to dinner anyway. I mean you and Jacob obviously aren't exclusive or anything, and I really like you, Bella."

Now I looked confused. "Mike, me and Jake _are _exclusive. Sorry, I can't go out with you tonight, I'm busy anyway…" Who said me and Jacob weren't exclusive? There are obviously a lot of idiots here that can't tell when two people are in a relationship…

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I woke up at 11 Saturday morning, eager for my date with Jacob. Of course we had been on plenty dates before, but every time was something special. And for some reason, we hadn't gone on any for a couple weeks now, so I was super excited for this one. After showing, shaving, and picking out the sexiest clothes I owned, I buzzed around listlessly looking for something to do.

_Homework_, I thought. _Homework will keep me occupied._ I started batting with Trig, impatiently looking at the clock every five minutes. With five hours to go until my date, I almost understood my Trig homework. Just then, my cell phone rang a distinct ringtone. _Jacob._ I flipped open my phone.

"Hello? Hey, Jake!"

"Hey, Bella." Jacob said, sounding depressed. "I'm so sorry, but I got sick this morning and I need to cancel our date tonight because obviously I can't leave the house and I don't want to get you sick too…"

"Oh, no! I'm sorry Jake, I hope you feel better! I'll come over with soup, how does that sound?"

"No!" Jacob said quickly, almost annoyed. I tilted my head, confused. "What I mean is I just said I didn't want to get you sick too, Bells. This stuff is contagious; I'll kill myself if you start throwing up too."

I smiled in spite of myself. "Sure, Jacob. Call me later, though, okay? Bye sweetheart" I crooned into the phone.

After hanging up, I looked around my room, slightly disappointed. What would I do now? I scrolled through my contacts, finally finding the one I wanted.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rosalie! What's up?"

"Not much. Me and Emmett were just playing Halo 3; I'm beating him, of course…" From the back I heard Emmett whining "Rose that was cheating!"

I chuckled. "Oh, sorry to bother you guys. Jake just got sick and had to bail on our date, poor guy. But now I basically have nothing to do. Well, I'll just—"

"Bella, that works out perfectly! Jasper was feeling bored so I thought we could all go out to eat. Of course you had your date, but now the mutt's canceled so you can go too! Okay, meet me at my house in 30 minutes. No excuses!" Before I could answer, she hung up. _Oh, Rose_, I thought, sighing.

28 minutes and 15 seconds later, I was pulling into the Hale's driveway behind Emmett's jeep. _With a minute and 45 seconds to spare! Nice work, Swan. _I let myself in, finding Emmett and Rosalie battling it out on the Playstation while Jasper watched, amused. He saw me and put a finger on his lips, mouthing "wait a second" and pointing to Rose and Emmett. I didn't have long to wait to realize what he was laughing about. Every time Rosalie destroyed Emmett, he had quite a hard time deciding if he was mad or turned on. The look on his face was priceless; I doubled over laughing, finally alerting Rose and Em to my presence.

"Hey, Bella! Great, you're here! Now we can leave!" Rosalie exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing her purse. "Emmett was being a baby, what a sore loser…"

"Hey!"

"Aw, Emmett, baby, you know I love you!" she leaned over to kiss him enthusiastically. I turned away, my thoughts flashing to Jacob. We drove to a restaurant in Port Angeles in Emmett's jeep, my mood lifting exponentially as we drove out of Forks.

We were all chatting happily in the restaurant, looking over out menus and arguing playfully about what we wanted. I looked over our table, searching for the waiter. I was surprised when I saw Leah Clearwater at the table next to us fixing her makeup, obviously waiting for her date to return from the bathroom. She hadn't seen me, though, so I turned away, not really caring about who she was going out with.

"What are you getting, Bella?" Jasper asked quietly.

"I think I'll get this lasagna dish. It sounds really good and I wanted to get it last time I was in here with Jake, but—"

"Oh, HELL no!" Rosalie hissed, looking directly at Leah Clearwater's table.

"What, Rose?" I asked, confused, looking over there too. I saw Leah Clearwater kissing her date, who was…Jacob?

"You little bastard!" Emmett roared. Jacob broke away from Leah and looked over at Emmett curiously, his face whitening when he recognized him. I stared at him. I didn't want to believe it, I didn't. _Jacob and Leah?_ It didn't make sense. Jacob was supposed to be sick at home. Then I remembered Mike not knowing what I was talking about when I talked about Jacob hitting him. I remembered the times Jacob hadn't showed up for lunch. I remembered how we hadn't been on a date for a while. Rosalie was right about him. I blinked rapidly, sending tears down my cheeks.

Jacob saw me and walked towards me, the expression on his face unreadable. "Bella, I—"

**"**DON'T care about you, sorry sweetheart. Bella, was it? Guess you aren't woman enough for Jake. You don't deserve him. He was just telling me…" Leah started ranting with an evil glint in her eyes, but I didn't hear her the rest. The last thing I saw was Emmett's enraged face before it all went black.

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_**Edward Cullen**_

"I don't want to go to Forks!" I had said. "I'll never go!" But here I am. Forks, population: zero. Well now me, my sister Alice, and my parents Carlisle and Esme. I cannot comprehend what was going through my father's mind when he considered the new job offer here. I cannot believe my mother who 'wants to live in a small town'.

So now I am in my new room, in the new house, contemplating the day ahead at Forks High, where I will be the new kid fresh from Chicago. Who switches schools a month into junior year? Apparently, Alice and I do. I looked around my room, having finally finished organizing my science textbooks on the bookshelf. My laptop was blinking at me; I went to it, finding that one of my old chess team friends had emailed me while I was unpacking.

_Hey Edward, _

_Hope you've settled in okay. Everything is fine here; we're just dreading our next chess tournament. We're toast without you, Cullen. Oh, and the Computer Club sends their love. _

_Keep in Touch,_

_Laurent_

I sighed, pushing my thick glasses up my nose. I bet they don't even have a Chess Team at Forks High. I bet everyone will make fun of me for being a 'nerd' in accelerated classes. I bet—

"I bet we'll have fun here!" Alice squealed, having burst into my room.

"Alice, no. You _won't_ have fun. There's no mall here!" I teased. Alice's face grew worried. I burst out into laughter, and she smiled and punched my shoulder. "I can always go to Port Angeles then, silly! And think of the fun we'll have in Seattle..." She gazed off into space, obviously imagining the clothes she could buy. I shook my head, exasperated. My twin sister Alice was everything I was not: she was outgoing, she was talkative, and she was confident. I, on the other hand, was shy, quiet, and –according to Alice—geeky.

"Seriously, Edward, you need to lose your dorky glasses." Alice said sharply, bouncing on my bed. "You would look so handsome with contacts, and, oh I don't know, maybe _jeans_ for once!"

"What's wrong with my corduroys?!"

Alice sighed. "My dear Edward, there is too much that is wrong with your corduroys. I don't even know where to begin…"

"Yeah, well, Forks is still going to be really boring" I cut her off hastily. Alice grew thoughtful.

"You know, I don't think so. This will be the best time of our lives. We will be worshipping Carlisle and his new hospital job pretty soon."

"Oh? How so? Are your clairvoyant predictions telling me there IS a Computer Club at Forks High?" I already knew there wasn't: I checked. And as far as I was concerned, if I was going to a school without a Computer Club, I would be pretty damn miserable.

"Well, I'm going to meet the love of my life tomorrow morning at school. You'll meet yours too. Don't let her go, Edward!" Alice warned me. "She'll be really hard to get but it'll work out in the end!"

And with that cryptic comment, Alice hopped off my bed and skipped to her own room, humming to herself. I stared after her shaking my head. Alice had a tendency to be right about things she predicted, it was true; but the love of my life? My only previous crush had been on my second grade teacher, who I had proposed to. Alice never lets me forget it; Mrs. Cope had been seven months pregnant when I had gotten down on one knee with a plastic 25-cent ring. It had not been the greatest experience of my life; it just proves how inexperienced I am with girls. It's even more unlikely that the love of my life would be here in Forks: what are there, maybe 20 girls to choose from? Forks seemed exceptionally small after living in Chicago. Distracted, I turned out the lights and climbed into bed, anticipating school the next day.

Hah. Love of my life. I wish. But wishes don't come true…

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_Soo? Haha I don't know. This is my first fanfiction, so I would greatly appreciate some feedback! Really, I would even like someone to say "this is a terrible story, get your ass off fanfiction". Although i would like BETTER for someone to say "This is a GREAT story. Keep writing"... Okay, I'm done. I love you all for making it to the end of the chapter!  
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_  
Oh, and one of my guy friends actually did propose to his second grade teacher. Who really was pregnant. It was hilarious!_


	2. Chapter 2

_hi hi hi guys! I wrote like a madwoman to get this chapter out to you :) I wanted to prove that I'm not really a late updater... _

_Ahem_. _So, thanks to my FOUR-count them, FOUR-reviewers! You have no idea how happy you made me with your reviews. So thanks again, to: OnceUponATime170, blinding-rainbows, Shellys01, and My Jacob! You made my day. _

_So writing this chapter was tough, but fulfilling. It was hard because I needed to capture Bella's feelings exactly right... Be sure to tell me if I did a good job! :D_

_Yup. So i own my shiny earrings. Not Twilight..._

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_**Bella Swan**_

I was dreaming.

I walked through a dark, forbidding alley into a movie theater, where I calmly sat down to watch what was playing. There was Jake, with a blush underneath his beautiful russet skin, looking downwards towards his feet. He was 6 foot something, with chin-length black hair and a hair tie around his wrist. He looked a little nervous. "_Bella, I really like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"_

_Will you be my girlfriend?_

_Will you be my girlfriend?_

_I really like you. Will you be my girlfriend?_

"_Yes," _I had said, now blushing too. He looked at me with nothing but joy in his eyes, a grin adorning his face. "_You've just made me the happiest guy ever."_

"_The happiest __**ever**__?"_

Jake had wrapped his arms around me, leaning down to kiss my forehead sweetly. _"The happiest ever. You are amazing, Bella. I will never let you go."_

_I will never let you go. _

_I will never let you go. _

_You are amazing, Bella. I will never let you go._

_Then why did you? _

"Bella. Bella!"

I awoke with a jolt, Emmett having shaken me out of my sleep. His normally smiling, dimpled face was instead frowning at me with some concern. I looked up at him, fully aware of the tear tracks I had made down my cheek in my sleep. He seemed as though he wanted to say something, but was unsure of how to word it. I focused instead on his ruffled tank top that showed off his impressive muscles and on the patchwork quilt that my mother had made so long ago. Finally, Emmett spoke.

"Um…Bella, it's Monday and we have school. Hurry up and get ready if you want to come with me, Rose and Jasper…We're stopping to get coffee and I know you're gonna want to get some!" His attempt to act perfectly normal almost made me cry; instead, I smiled at him and softly asked, "Aren't you getting ready?"

Emmett was puzzled. "I am ready. What are you talking about?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You're going to go to school in a wife beater? Are you crazy?"

Emmett looked down, apparently embarrassed. "Rose likes it," he muttered. I started grinning. He _was_ crazy. "Come again?"

"Rose likes it!" He said loudly, grinning himself. "And besides, it's comfortable like you wouldn't believe… You should try it sometime. No, wait! I take that back. Don't you dare leave this house in only a wife beater!" He started rambling, to which I laughed.

"Okay, Emmett, but can you leave, please? I need to get ready…" He started backing out of the room. With a last "no wife beaters!" he left to wait for Rosalie and Jasper in the living room, leaving me to brood about my dream.

So, Jacob cheated on me. That hurt, but logically speaking it wasn't like we were married. I didn't love him; that much I knew. I was fractured, possibly broken, but realistically I would survive. I was never one to be a drama queen; I wouldn't start now. Me and Jake had some good times (many, _many_ good times). It was hard to come out of a three year relationship without some fond memories of the previous chunk of your life. Would all that be canceled out because of some petty, high school dilemma? Would my memories of Jacob caring about me become stained?

There are some questions that can't be answered. I wouldn't die; but I wouldn't ever forgive Jacob, either. This was a decision I had made yesterday. I couldn't forgive Jacob because I couldn't forgive myself. I couldn't forgive myself for being too boring to keep his interest, and not being woman enough for him (as Leah eloquently said that night). At least my friends cared about me. I remembered the events of yesterday with a painful smile:

_I was sitting in my room, taking turns between crying and just staring at the ceiling and trying to forget everything. My life was over, my heart was broken. I was, in a sense, being the exact drama queen I had always despised. I tried to hate Jacob's guts for being such a two-timing jerk, but I couldn't. Every time I tried, Leah's words slashed through me like an invisible dagger: you're not woman enough for him. You're not woman enough. You don't deserve him. _

_How could I hate Jacob when it was put like that? How could I blame Jacob for wanting more than the little I could offer him? I was just starting to cry again when I heard Rosalie downstairs, demanding to see me. I listened closely, only half caring about Emmett's quiet reply. I honestly felt bad for Emmett; he had been a pro at beating Jacob up in the parking lot of the restaurant, but when it came to comforting his broken baby sister he was at a loss. He had been pacing the hallway outside my bedroom all day; I heard him, but didn't care quite enough to either come out or invite him in. _

_Whatever Emmett said, though, must have pissed Rosalie off because she exclaimed right outside my door: "THAT'S ENOUGH! BELLA, STOP MOPING OR—_

_I wrenched the door open, looking angrily at my brother's girlfriend. "Or what, Rosalie?" My anger faded as Rose looked at me in horrified concern, taking in my sallow face, the tears dried in my hair, and my clothes from last night. Emmett and Jasper had followed behind her, both gazing at me like my pain had caused their hearts to break, too. It was those faces that broke me. I started crying, now angry at myself for causing my friends such misery. _

_"Oh, Bella, Bella baby, don't cry," Rosalie crooned, "I'm sorry. But you need to understand, Jacob isn't worth all this. He never treated you like the stubborn princess you are. It's his loss, not yours."_

_"I…was never woman…woman enough for him!" I managed to blubber out. Jasper now swooped in, hugging me too. "Bella, don't you dare take Leah Clearwater seriously. She just said that because she's an evil, lying b—person, don't believe her, Bella please. You __**are**__ woman enough; you're more woman than any girl I've ever seen. I'm a man, I should know…" _

_Jasper stopped at the very obvious cough Emmett let out behind him. Emmett stared pointedly at Jasper's hand, which was now holding mine. Jasper let it go hastily. "Aw come on Emmett… you KNOW we're just friends…"_

_Emmett was perhaps going to say something brilliant and intelligent, but we never found out. Rosalie smacked him behind the head, hard. "OW! Rosie, that wasn't nice…"_

_I stifled a small laugh. Emmett looked round at me, now grinning. "Our point is that Jacob didn't deserve YOU, Bella, not the other way around. Anyone who doesn't know that is either mentally retarded, or mentally blind."_

_Rose smacked him again. "Mentally blind, Em? You can't BE mentally blind…"_

_"Sorry, Rosie!" Emmett said, totally distracted. _

_This time I giggled. I stood up, suddenly having an epiphany. "I'm so sorry, you guys. You're right, I shouldn't be moping around. Look at the people I have that care about me…" I looked, and my heart swelled at what I saw: Loud, beautiful, loving Rosalie; Muscled, sweet, dimpled Emmett; and quiet, blonde, loyal Jasper. Screw Jacob! I was blessed. I didn't have to be woman enough for the people in the room, and nothing could make me happier. _

"Bella? Bella, are you READY YET? We're leaaaaaaaavingggg!" Emmett and Rose sang. I snapped out of it, grabbing my bag and running. I didn't need love when I had such great friends by my side.

_**Edward Cullen**_

Forks is not too much different than everywhere else I've been. I had dressed in my most impressive green emerald sweater that Alice insisted 'matched my eyes' and my best corduroys in hopes of Alice's prediction to be right, but it wasn't necessary. After the first five minutes it was obvious that no girl would be interested in me here. No girl was interested in me anywhere. As usual, eyes slid right by me without seeing me, resting instead on my pretty pixie sister. With her short black hair, warm gray eyes, confidence, and fashion sense, she was the belle of the ball. I was proud of my sister, only slightly disappointed about the whole love-of-my-life thing not being possible.

I was worrying about every guy hitting on her, but it wasn't necessary. As soon as we stepped out of my silver Volvo, me trying to push my glasses up my nose without dropping my handful of books, Alice had let out a squeal. "That's him, Edward, that's him!" I looked at where she was pointing, my eyes finding a huge, intimidating-looking guy in nothing but a wife beater. Then I saw the curvy, gorgeous blonde on his arm. I groaned. "Alice, if HE's the love of your life, you've really got your work cut out for you..."

Alice smacked my arm, nearly causing my textbooks to fall. I stumbled, struggling to balance it all. "not HIM, stupid! _Him._" I saw who she was talking about, and smiled. Next to the blonde was another tall blonde, male this time. He was quiet and broody-looking, leaning against a jeep with his hands in his pockets looking affectionately at who was obviously his sister. To a girl, he would be handsome. Before I could say anything, though, Alice had skipped off in his direction, obviously intending to introduce herself. I hastened off behind her.

Alice skidded to a stop right in front of him, nearly giving him a heart attack. She stuck out her hand. "Alice Cullen, the girl of your dreams. And who are you?" I internally smacked myself, embarrassed, wishing she didn't always have to be _quite_ so confident. I had to give the guy credit, though. After a moment, he smiled at Alice, taken by her beauty, too. He shook her hand. "Jasper Hale, at your service."

"You've kept me waiting a long time, Jasper."

Jasper looked at my twin with a tender, loving expression in his eyes. "I'm sorry, ma'am" he apologized. It was then I knew that he _was_ the love of Alice's life. He hugged her sweetly.

"Yo, what the hell?" The big, scary-looking one had come over, with the blonde looking at Jasper and Alice with a confused expression on her face. Jasper looked over. "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce you," He said to Alice. "This is my sister Rosalie Hale, and her boyfriend Emmett Swan. And over there is _his_ sister Bella…Where's Bella? Oh, she must have left to class already…Okay, you'll meet her at lunch I guess. Guys, this is Alice Cullen." He said my sister's name with a reverent expression on his face. Emmett and Rosalie were looking at my sister, awed too. I smiled, so distracted I didn't notice some guy bump into me, knocking my books to the ground. I flushed, embarrassed as the three of them looked over at me curiously.

Emmett moved first, walking towards me, bending over to help me pick up my books. I instantly revised my impression of him; he wasn't as scary as he looked. "Emmett Swan, nice to meet you."

Alice smacked her forehead. "I'm so sorry, guys! This is my twin brother Edward. He's a little shy, but you'll all be great friends with him in no time!" Her excitement rubbed off on both Emmett and Rosalie. Rose advanced towards me with a smile on her face, her hand out. "Rosalie Hale. I love your green sweater; it matches your eyes, did you know?"

"I TOLD YOU, EDWARD!" Alice squealed, literally jumping up and down. Rosalie laughed, her head thrown back. "Jasper, I really like her! Don't let this one go or I'll kill you!" she threatened affectionately. Jasper laughed too, also saying hi to me. I was confused at the attention; was it only because Alice was my sister? Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were all looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to speak. "Uh, um, hi guys. I'm Edward." I stammered out. "uh, well, I have to go…" I intended to speed walk off to the school, but i unfortunately tripped on the way there. I dropped my books again.

Emmett chuckled, walking over to help me with my books again. "You're very nearly as clumsy as Bella, my sister. She's always falling over things, hurting herself…you should meet her, Edward. Sit with us at lunch. You'd like her…" I flushed again, thanking him. I walked off to my first class, finding it easily, lost in my thoughts.

For the first time ever, someone who was so obviously above me treated me like an equal. Three people, even. I felt a glimmer of hope; maybe the love of my life _was _here. Maybe it was this Bella, who Emmett said I would like. I looked forward to meeting her at lunch.

My classes rolled on by, too easy for me. I settled into the rhythm of being invisible again. Fourth period, I received a slight surprise: Jasper was in my Pre-calc class. He smiled when he saw me, walking over to sit next to me. "Hey, Edward. How do you like your classes so far?" I smiled. "Fine. How do you like my sister?" I challenged shyly.

Jasper laughed. "Point taken. I really do like Alice, Edward. Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like to take her out sometime. If it's okay…" He trailed off, suddenly looking less sure of himself.

"You're asking my permission?" I asked, mystified. Jasper nodded, looking hopeful. "Jasper, of course you can ask Alice out! You don't need to ask my permission, really. She wasn't kidding when she said she was waiting for you a long time." Jasper relaxed, apparently honestly worried about my answer.

"Thanks, Edward. I don't know why, I feel like my world's been flipped upside down since I first saw her…" He shook his head, snapping out of it. "Well, what about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

I looked down, embarrassed. "No. For obvious reasons, really…"

Jasper looked puzzled. "What obvious reasons? Are you gay, or something?" I smiled in spite of myself. "No, I'm straight. I just…no one likes me, really. I'm a dork." I shrugged, trying to play it off as nothing. Jasper surprised me by looking exasperated, and a little angry. "You're just like Bella, both so unconfident in yourselves! Jesus Edward, if you don't have a girlfriend it's not a big deal. It just means you haven't found the one yet." I tensed up; this was the second time I've been compared to this Bella. Jasper misunderstood my sudden tension, visibly deflating.

"I'm so sorry for blowing up on you there, Edward. It's been a hard couple days, and between you and Bella, I could shoot myself." I smiled.

"No, it's okay Jasper."

The bell rang then, interrupting our talk. I stood up, hastily piling my books on top of each other while Jasper easily slung his messenger bag over one shoulder. "Lunch next!" He said happily. "Come on, Edward, you need to meet Bella!" I trailed behind him. "Slow down, Jasper, I know your not THAT excited for me to meet Bella…" I teased. He laughed. "You caught me."

We walked into the lunchroom, Jasper leading the way to where Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice were already sitting. Alice lit up when she saw Jasper. I sat down at the table next to Jasper, who was already talking to Alice quietly. "Hey guys," I said. "Hey Edward," Emmett and Rosalie chorused. Emmett suddenly looked over my shoulder. "Bella, hey!"

I turned around, and my eyes met…perfection. Her long hair was the most gorgeous shade of brown, with natural red in it. She was medium-heighted, with curves in all the right places. She had a smile on her face, showing off her straight, white teeth. Her eyes were full of depth; I got lost in them for a while. This couldn't be Bella. Jasper said Bella was really unconfident, and Emmett said that Bella was really clumsy. This girl looked graceful and I could not for the life of me think of one single reason why this perfection would be unconfident. No, this wasn't Bella.

Then the woman stumbled down right next to me, hugging Emmett slightly. "Hey big brother, how are things?"

This _was_ Bella.

Jasper nudged me. _Close your mouth_, he mouthed, grinning from ear to ear. Alice giggled. I snapped my mouth shut, reddening. I hurriedly grabbed a book from my pile, hiding behind it. Someone knocked on the cover. I lowered my book hesitantly.

"Hey, Emmett says your name is Edward. My name is Bella, and do you know you're reading your book upside down?" Her voice was like wind chimes; I was officially in love. I blushed redder; everyone laughed. Alice spoke up.

"Don't mind him, Bella, he just really likes you…" I wanted to kill my sister. I looked over at the beautiful Bella, horrified when she stiffened and turned her back on me. I blinked, trying to keep tears out of my eyes. Alice's eyes were wide, obviously not expecting Bella's reaction. Stupid psychic. Jasper was looking at me in concern; Rosalie was looking between me and Bella, her eyebrows furrowed. Emmett, bless him, didn't notice a thing and was shoveling down food. I stood up, needing to get away from this heartbreakingly gorgeous creature.

"Um, I have to go," I mumbled. I left, finding a nice deserted stairwell to read in. Five minutes later, Rosalie walked by, sighing in relief when she found me. "Listen, Edward, I am _so_ sorry about Bella. She just—"

I sighed, not really wanting to hear about how I was undesirable. "No, Rosalie, it's fine. I'm really not offended."

Rosalie looked angry. "Like hell you're not! Listen, the normal Bella would have laughed with a fucking twinkle in her eye when Alice said that. She would have flirted with you; she would have _never_ been so rude. As it is, she just broke up with her ex-boyfriend two days ago because the jackass was cheating on her. She's not over it yet, do you understand me? It's not you, it's her. Emmett and Jasper are talking to her now."

I flushed. "They don't really have to do that, really I—"

"Yes, they do. Bella was rude to you and now your hiding in a stairwell, I think that deserves a reprimand," Rosalie interrupted again. The bell rang. "Oh, we better go to our next class. I'll talk to you later, Edward, okay?" She swooped down and kissed me on the cheek, chuckling when I blushed. She left me to go to my next class. I went to Biology, hesitating when I saw that I shared the class with Bella. She caught my eye and gave me a sad smile. I took a deep breath and walked over to her, fidgeting in my backpack to make it look like I was busy.

Bella spoke. "Hey, listen, Edward, I'm really sorry about lunch." I straightened up and sat next to her, trying to maintain at least a small portion of my dignity.

"Oh, it's fine, Bella, it's no big deal really." I cursed mentally; I was not the best liar around. Bella looked even sadder.

"Edward, you're a really nice guy. I shouldn't have been such an idiot, I'm sorry. I've just had a long day, that's all." I was astonished to see that Bella was even worse a liar than I was. I smiled.

"You've had a long day?"

Bella flushed. "So Rose told you? It's okay, I don't care!" she said hastily when I was about to apologize. "I'm just surprised…well, yeah, so Jacob cheated on me. It's not a big deal, though, it was my fault."

My eyes widened. "How is someone else cheating on you _your_ fault?"

Bella shrugged defiantly. "I wasn't good enough for him. I'm not good enough for anyone." She whispered. She looked shocked, obviously not intending to tell me that.

"You're wrong," I whispered, not sure if she had heard me. "You're perfect…"

Mr. Banner started class then, and I was lost in my thoughts. Bella had her notebook out, keeping her head down. I thought I saw a tear fall down on her paper, but I wasn't sure. I felt a surge of anger towards whoever this Jacob was. I now understood why Jasper said she was unconfident; but what kind of person would cheat on _Bella?_

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_You see what i meant by Bella's feelings being kinda tough to decipher? She's a mature woman; so she wouldn't be like slit-my-wrists upset that Jacob cheated on her. At the same time, she now believes that she isn't good enough for anyone, but doesn't like to show anyone because she loves her friends so much... _

_And I love Edward SO much in this chapter. I didn't want to make him too much of a sissy or anything, but at the same time it was needed to be said that this is a different Edward than in the real books and other fanfics. In others i've read, even if Edward is a dork everyone falls for him. I wanted mine to be a little more real. _

_I really hope you liked it!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

_I own my orange scarf! Not Twilight!_

_Oh, and please read the author's note at the end of the chapter. Please?  
_

_**Bella Swan**_

"You're wrong," Edward whispered to himself. "You're perfect…"

I stopped breathing, getting lost in my thoughts. I wasn't perfect, I was ordinary. I would even say I was a little under-average. I didn't understand why Edward would say that about me. He met Rosalie just today—and Alice was his sister. Short, stylish, peppy Alice; she was going to be great with Jasper.

I smiled a little to myself; Jasper had been alone for too long. He deserved someone who loved him, and it looked like he had found her. My smile faded abruptly. When would _I_ find someone who loved _me?_ I thought back to the times I thought I knew.

_Jacob and I were walking across the beach, a routine thing at this point. I loved it. He slipped his hand in mine. I smiled shyly up at him, looking back down quickly when my face warmed. Jacob's fingers went under my chin, coaxing my face up. _

"_Bella…" He whispered. The butterflies in my stomach multiplied. "Yes, Jake?"_

_He straightened up, blushing himself. "Um…how did you like dinner?" I laughed in spite of myself. That was so awkward. Jake grinned. "Okay, that wasn't what I was going to say. I actually wanted to ask you something…"_

"_Sure, what's up?" _

_He looked nervous. "Um, well…what does a girl really want?"_

_I stopped in my tracks. "What a girl _really_ wants?" Jacob looked relieved I had caught on quickly. "Well, yeah."_

_I pulled my hand out of his, walking towards the sunset. "I guess…well, a girl doesn't _really_ want clothes, money, or other stuff. All I…all a girl really wants is for someone to love them more than anyone has ever loved anyone, ever. A girl wants love. She wants that feeling of being hugged, being kissed. I…I don't know. A girl wants the feeling of not being alone. She wants the feeling of being safe."_

_I felt warm arms wrap around me from behind. "Do you feel safe?" Jacob whispered in my ear. I shivered as I felt his teeth graze my ear. _

"_Safer than I've ever felt before."_

A tear slid down my cheek onto my blank sheet of notebook paper. I snapped out of my flashback, only too aware of Edward's eyes on me. I pretended not to notice. _I need to think about something else,_ I thought desperately.

My thoughts turned to Edward instead. He was really nice. He had that air of "awkward" about him; it reminded me irresistibly of myself, a little bit. He had pretty bronze hair; pale, smooth skin; and the most amazing green eyes.

Those eyes were gorgeous, with little flecks of hazel in them. It was a pity they were locked behind such thick glasses; Edward seemed to be the stereotype of a dork, now that I thought about it. I shook my head. Edward was just…Edward. I didn't know enough about him to make a judgment, but Rosalie and Jasper seemed to really like him. When Edward had ran out, Rosalie smacked the back of my head and stormed out after him. I was confused until Emmett and Jasper leaned in close to me, speaking in reprimanding tones. _Edward is a really great guy, Bella. Could you _try_ not to be a bitch?_ Emmett had quite a way with words.

I felt absolutely terrible about lunch. What was I thinking? I turned my back on someone who had no idea what was going on with Jacob. Edward probably thought I was being hostile to him because I didn't like him. The truth was, Alice's words may have had harmless intentions but they ripped bullet holes through me. _"Don't mind him, Bella; he just really likes you…"_

I wish. I wish someone liked me. I was happy with my friends but let's face it: Every girl wants more.

The bell rang then, and I hastily wiped my face and put my books away. That was another class completely wasted; I didn't learn a thing. Edward was putting his books away too, so I peeked at his schedule to see what he had next. Spanish. Wanting to make up for my stupid act in lunch, I tried to be helpful.

"Hey Edward, you need help finding your next class? I can walk you, if you want."

Edward straightened up, looking slightly saddened by my asking. I was confused; what did I say?

"I'm pretty sure I can find it on my own, thanks." I stared at him for a second before it hit me. He thought I was making a slam on his masculinity by offering to walk him to his class. _Oh. _I hurried to rectify my mistake.

"Oh, okay. Well then I hope you don't mind walking me to my class? It's a big school, you know, I could get lost…" I trailed off, feeling less and less sure of myself. Edward grinned at me. I relaxed, satisfied. "Sure, Bella."

We walked in pleasant company to the last class of the day, which was Gym for me. Edward was a nice person: A little shy, but sweet all the same. Outside the gym doors, I steeled myself and turned to him.

"Thanks for walking me, Edward! Um, I'll see you after school? Let's walk to the parking lot together…?" Jeez, could I get any more awkward? Edward's going to think I'm a joke.

Edward smiled a crooked, brilliant smile that I instantly wished I had. With that smile, I could easily look past his textbooks and glasses and corduroys and see a person just like anyone else, except maybe better. I was dazed until his smooth voice broke through my abstractions. "Of course, Bella, I'll meet you here when class is over, okay?" I was thrilled.

I walked into the locker room, tripping over a backpack and almost knocking over Jessica. "Watch it, bitch!" Jessica teased. I rolled my eyes, amused. Jessica was always looking around for the next coolest thing; apparently swearing at your friends was it. I started changing, dreading the volleyball game to come.

"Ugh, Bella, did you see that new dork Cullen kid? Jesus, you'd think with a sister like his he'd have a little more fashion sense, but…he's wearing _corduroys,_ Bella, did you see him?" Jessica whined as if his corduroys had done her a personal wrong. I was a little annoyed.

"Yeah, Jess, I saw him. He's really nice, you shouldn't talk about him like that," I tried to stick up for him, but it backfired. There was a new light in Jessica's eyes. "Oh my God! Are you going out with him? I mean, I know Jacob cheated on you but you could do better than Edward, don't you think? Is he good in bed? Or is it the money? Bella, tell me everything!" She commanded. "He really isn't _that_ bad, now that I think about it. He's cute in that dorky way!"

I sighed. "No, Jess, I'm not going out with him. He's cute, though," I blushed. "I'm just not over Jacob yet…"

Jessica leaned in conspiratorially. "Yeah, I heard about Leah. Word around the street is that she slept with him…twice, begging for him to keep her. Well, obviously he did. Guess he enjoyed the sex." Jessica made a disgusted sound at the back of her throat. "I bet you were better though, Bella, so don't worry, okay?"

Hmph. I was not better than Leah. I opened my mouth. "I didn't sleep with him. I…I was just scared, and it didn't feel right. He said he was fine with waiting but I guess not." To my horror, traitor tears sprang into my eyes. I turned around quickly to hide my face. Jessica was oblivious, still processing the new tidbit of gossip. I sighed, turning to head out of the locker room for a bout of pure torture.

…

"Ow…Ow…OW! Don't touch it!" My wrists were bruised from the many times the other team, sensing a weakness, sent the ball right at me. Since the gym teacher grades based on effort, I had to try, right? "Ouch!"

Edward pulled back quickly, the icepack in his hand. "Sorry!" I gritted my teeth, walking with him towards the parking lot.

He put the icepack back on my wrist with surprising gentleness. We had reached my truck, leaning against it and just talking while we waited for our friends.

"Favorite color?"

"Green" I replied unthinkingly. Edward tilted his head. "why?"

I looked down. "No reason…"

But then I made the mistake of looking up and seeing his gorgeous emerald eyes. I blushed, making Edward chuckle.

"Okay, now I _have_ to know."

"It's just…your eyes are pretty" I blurted out. _Your eyes are pretty? You're such a loser, Bella! Could you not have thought of a MORE awkward way to say that?"_ Edward opened his mouth, then shut it again. I looked behind him and panicked.

"Oh no, hide me!" I hid behind a very confused Edward. "Bella?"

I waited until Leah and Jacob had driven out of the parking lot, and gave a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I was just avoiding Jacob." Edward laughed. "And you thought hiding behind me was effective?"

"Well, it obviously was," I said, annoyed. Edward sobered up, a twinkle in his eye.

"So, I believe we were saying something about my eyes?" I flushed. "I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"Oh, not at all, Bella. I really appreciate the compliment" Edward had leaned into me, perhaps unconsciously. I looked at his soft lips, wanting for a second nothing more than to kiss him.

"Hey Bella! Hey Edward!" Emmett boomed. Edward started and turned around, relaxing when he saw the gang heading towards us. I took the time to calm myself. I was obviously going crazy.

…

Weeks passed by, and Edward and I were really close friends. I would say he was my closest friend, except for Alice. I had already gone shopping twice with her, and thoroughly hated every minute of it. There was just something about Alice that made you want to love her, though.

_Me and Alice were walking through the mall, Edward trailing behind looking somewhat weary. I felt almost as bad for him as I did myself. I was now holding five different bags at this point, and I wish I could say they were for Alice._

_Edward had put his foot down some years ago about Alice buying clothes for him and I wish I knew how he did it. Alice explained that Edward liked his own style, even though it was 'dorky'. The deal was that Alice wouldn't try to buy him anything, but Edward would have to accompany her shopping. I thought that was fair enough, I guess. _

"_Bella, we need to make one more stop!" Alice said. _

_I was perplexed. "Alice, we've been through every single store in the mall. Which store could you possibly…?" I stopped dead. Oh. My. God. She wasn't serious._

_I looked at her, horrified. Alice gave me an evil grin. Stupid pixie. She was serious._

_Edward was the one who voiced it, looking just as scared as me. "Victoria's Secret, Alice? Do I have to?" He whined. _

_I quickly joined him. "Yeah, Alice, I have quite enough lingerie, really…."_

_Alice stood menacingly with her fists on her hips. I gave up and walked in. "Why are you doing this to me?" I whispered to her. _

_Alice smiled. "You'll see." She mouthed back. Then she called for Edward, who came over hesitantly. _

"_Edward, you need to pick out things that would look good on Bella. Give them to Bella, she'll try them on and you decide if you like them. Kay? Oh, you need Bella's size. 36B. Now go!" She said briskly. Edward stood there frozen. _

"_Edward, GO!" Alice yelled. Edward, looking redder than any shade I've ever managed, left quickly. I turned to her, furious. _

_  
"WHY are you making your poor brother pick out lingerie for me?! I can pick it well enough on my own, I don't understand your logic…" I rambled. Alice sighed, putting her hand over my mouth. _

"_Bella, I'm only going to say this once, so listen hard, okay? You and my brother were made for each other. I know it. I'm just trying to help things along. You're both too shy for your own good. Do you understand? I'm trying to help you."_

_I wrenched her hand away from my mouth. "Alice, I don't like Edward in that way. I'm sorry, I just don't." It wasn't technically a lie. Alice looked sad for a second then brightened right up. _

_  
"Maybe right now you don't. But you will. Trust me." She said confidently. _

"_And what makes you think Edward likes me?" I demanded. _

"_Bella, if I have to tell you, you will never know." And with that, Alice skipped off. I paced the store, fuming. Edward tapped me on the shoulder, looking redder still._

"_Um, I brought you some stuff." Edward mumbled. I blushed._

"Bella, where do you keep zoning out to? I'm trying to talk to you!" Alice said. I blinked, taking in my surroundings. I was in the cafeteria, not the mall. Oh. Everyone was staring at me, except for Edward, who was picking at his food, blushing again.

"Sorry, Alice. What's up?"

"I was just telling everyone about our shopping trip last weekend! We need to do it again, don't we Bella?" Alice asked eagerly. I shook my head, terrified.

"No, Alice. I am NOT going into Victoria's Secret ever again! I have enough bras to keep me for a lifetime!" I exclaimed.

"But Bella, Edward picked those out. I need to pick stuff out for you too…" Edward choked into his food, looking redder than the tomato on his plate. Emmett and Rosalie laughed, and even Jasper gave a smile.

"Edward went lingerie shopping for Bella? THAT'S HILARIOUS!" Emmett boomed. He clapped Edward in the back. "Good work, man, really…"

Rosalie giggled. "So, Edward, how was it?"

Edward looked up, obviously wishing to evaporate. "Um, I don't really know…" Alice scoffed. "Oh shut up, Edward, you know you had fun...I could see it!"

I stood up, feeling bad for Edward. "If you're done making fun of Edward, we're going to leave. Right, Edward?" Edward hastened to stand, knocking over a water bottle in the process. He left with me, and we walked through the hallways together.

"Thanks, Bella." He mumbled.

I took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Its fine, Edward." Just then, we ran into the last person I wanted to see. Jacob.

I had been avoiding him successfully for a couple weeks now. It wasn't hard to do. I knew where he usually parked his car, and he never came to lunch. I didn't have any classes with him, either. I froze, wanting to die.

Jacob smirked, seeing Edward. "All right, Bella? You've been avoiding me. I guess I see why, although I must say, your taste in men has diminished…" Edward stiffened, looking down. I was furious. I was about to deny the implication that Edward was my boyfriend, but something in Jacob's expression made me want to hurt him. To shock him. Besides, I might have actually gone out with Edward if it weren't for Jacob.

"Actually, Jacob, Edward is the best boyfriend ever. I don't know what I ever saw in you…" Jacob looked surprised. _Good, you jackass_, I thought menacingly. I couldn't bear looking at Edward's reaction, so I focused on Jacob only.

Jacob recovered, laughing it off. "Okay, then Bella. I just wanted to apologize, for you know, what happened in the restaurant. I didn't want you to find out that way… I thought I'd break it to you gently…" I was infuriated. I spoke slowly, each of my words aiming to wound him.

"I don't really care, Jacob. And how exactly do you tell someone that you're cheating on them gently? 'Um, I'm KINDA cheating on you'? Whatever, Jake. I'll be waiting around for Leah to cheat on you... cuz you know she will…" My plan worked. Jacob looked stricken. "She wouldn't…I give the best lay…" Jacob mumbled. I laughed, hiding my broken heart.

Jacob left. I took a deep breath, looking at Edward. He was shocked. I closed my eyes, waiting for him to yell at me.

When he spoke, he was surprisingly gentle. "I guess I understand why you said we were going out, although I wish you didn't."

The pieces of my heart splintered even more. He wished I didn't tell Jake I was going out with him? Did that mean he didn't want to go out with me? I should have known. I'm such an idiot. He was repulsed by me. I opened my eyes, looking up at him with tears threatening to spill.

Edward shook my shoulders. "Bella, let me finish! I meant I wish it wasn't a lie. I… I don't know. I'm an idiot…" He trailed off, looking more and more awkward. I put my palms on his face, forcing him to look at me.

"Edward, I am sorrier than you will ever know. Jacob made me so mad. It's just that, I can't go out with anyone yet. I can't go out with anyone, ever. I'm not good enough for you, I know that. I just need to ask, as a friend: Will you please pretend to go out with me? Just in front of Jacob. If you don't want to, I promise I'll never ask you again. I'll go tell Jacob I was lying, and I won't care what he says to me!" Edward surprised me by pressing his lips to mine.

He tasted so sweet, like candy before dinner as a child. I pressed myself closer to him, all too aware that there were fireworks all around us, sparks that weren't there even when Jacob kissed me…

All too soon, he pulled away, grinning crookedly. He leaned into my ear. "We need to keep up appearances, don't we?" I repressed a shiver, trying not to faint into Edward's arms. Edward hugged me gently, and then walked away slowly, stopping to turn and wink at me. I swooned.

Okay, so maybe Edward was awkward. Maybe he was a dork, and geeky, and had thick glasses. But, I reflected to myself, he was a damn good kisser.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

_---_

_I apologize. I was going to make this chapter literally double the length it is now, but unfortunately time got the best of me. I have to leave for the airport in literally 20 minutes, and I have to finish packing! But i decided this fanfic was wayy more important, since my next update will be in 10 days! Soooo sorry. Love you all!!!_

_oh, and excuse the typos. You have no idea how rushed i am right now....  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_I'll talk to you guys on the bottom 3 _

_Disclaimer: I own a picture-less photo frame. Not Twilight...  
_

_**Edward Cullen**_

"So she ACTUALLY told Jacob she was going out with you? Like, ACTUALLY?" Alice asked for the millionth time. She was bouncing on my desk chair in my room, looking at me laying facedown on my bed.

"Yes, Alice!" I said into my pillow, probably sounding a little muffled. "Jacob was being a jerk and she told him I was the best boyfriend ever."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "And…?"

I blushed. "And we kissed."

Alice grinned. "But this is excellent! I knew she liked you, Eddie!"

I groaned. "Alice, she _does not like me. _She just said that to make Jacob feel bad, or whatever her reasons were. I'm not mad about it, but I don't want you to make anything huge out of it either. It really wasn't a big deal. Besides, afterwards Bella told me that really we wouldn't need to change anything. Jacob's the only one who thinks we're together. We won't fall in love." I sighed.

"You think that now, but you just wait and see, mister!" Alice sang, jumping on top of me. "Now get up, I've got a date with Jasper."

I sat up, distracted. "Alice, since when does _your_ date with Jasper mean I have to get up? I'm fine here, thanks…" I lay back down on the bed, pulling my bedspread – that had the whole periodic table on it, thank you very much – over my head. Alice giggled.

"You need to get up, because Bella's going to come over uninvited with Emmett and Rosalie in a couple minutes." Alice predicted this with such confidence that I froze.

Bella was coming? I shot up quickly, tripping over a psychology textbook. Alice stepped in front of me, for once looking completely serious.

"Edward... I just wanted to tell you. Bella may not love you right now, but she will soon."

I rolled my eyes, immediately rejecting that thought. I didn't want to believe. I didn't want to hope. "Alice, I don't care. I don't like her." I lied through my teeth.

She shoved my chest hard. I stumbled back a couple steps, slightly worried at Alice's murderous expression. "Edward, I'm your twin. You can delude yourself all you freaking want, but you can't lie to me." Abruptly, she became playful and winked. "Besides, we all know you only got up so fast was because you wanted to look good for Bella."

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang.

"That's Jasper!" Alice said, excited. She ran from the room.

I sighed. _Better get ready…_ I turned to my closet, picking out a deep blue sweater vest that somehow reminded me of Bella.

Bella.

Beautiful, shy, Bella. She told Jacob I was her boyfriend once, and now I couldn't get it out of my mind. My girlfriend Bella. How I wished. The fiery anger in her eyes when she looked at Jacob with such hatred in her eyes was one of the most attractive sights I had ever laid my eyes on. Even angry, Bella was beautiful. Bella, Bella, Bella. If only. I settled into a daydream about my brown-eyed goddess.

_We were kissing again, this time in bed with her on top of me. It was amazing. She caught my lower lip between her teeth. I groaned, gently rolling her so I was on top._

"_Please, Edward…I want you…" _

My cell phone rang then, notifying me of a text message. I didn't open it. I needed a cold shower first…

"Edward? Edward!" Bella ran into the room 20 minutes later and hopped straight into my arms. I was in high heaven until I realized she was sobbing.

"Bella! What's the matter?!" Bella looked at me with watery eyes, unable to respond. I panicked, looking at Emmett and Rosalie. They looked slightly amused. Bella lifted her face to see me. I resisted the urge to taste her tears, settling for wiping them from her face.

"Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry…" I was mystified.

"Bella, tell me what happened." I demanded gently. She sniffled.

"Everyone knows! Everyone knows…I'm so sorry!" I stopped. Everyone knows what?

Rosalie sighed audibly, stepping forward with her cell phone out. She offered it to me. "Maybe this will make things more clear." I hesitantly took the cell phone from her. It was opened to a text message. It was addressed to what seemed like everyone in the school.

**Newest couple: Bella Swan and Edward Cullen! **

Underneath was a picture taken of me kissing Bella. I stiffened. Who _took_ this picture? I scrolled up to the sender. Jacob Black.

In my arms, Bella was growing more quiet, horrified of my reaction. I looked at her, suddenly not caring about anything but making her feel better.

"Not a bad picture of us, do you think?" I teased her. Emmett, who had been tensed for my reaction too, suddenly relaxed and grinned.

"See, Bella, I told you he wouldn't get mad…" Emmett said. Bella stared at me, her watery eyes wide. I leaned down and kissed her cheek quickly, unable to help myself. Then I chuckled.

"You were worried about _my_ reaction? Bella, Bella! _I'm _the one who should be sorry. And I am sorry for kissing you like that." I lied. In truth, I wasn't sorry. Not at all.

Bella, hearing the lie in the voice, raised an eyebrow at me.

"I mean, I'm sorry someone took a picture of us kissing like that." I amended. Emmett chuckled, striding forward to clap a hand on my back.

"Knew there was a reason I liked you, Cullen."

Even Bella giggled.

"You really don't care? You're not mad at me?" Bella looked at me, suddenly unsure of herself again.

"I'm not mad at you," I declared fervently. She nodded, finally believing me.

Rosalie came up to us also, leaning into Emmett.

"Anyway, don't worry about it Bella. You don't need to change anything now, either. You already sit with Edward at lunch and you walk with him in the hallways…Seems to me like that's all anyone needs to see." Emmett agreed.

Bella looked at Rosalie and Emmett so desperately my heart broke. I leaned closer to her.

"If you really want to, we could stage a breakup." I said quietly.

The room tensed for 2 long beats before it exploded.

"THAT'S INSANE!" Emmett roared.

Rosalie was on the same page. "Edward, of course Bella doesn't want that. It would be so hard on your friendship…"

I had eyes only for Bella, desperately hoping she didn't like the idea, either. She looked at me with fresh tears in her eyes.

"If you…if you think that's best." She looked down, hiding her expression.

I coaxed her face up. "Bella…" I started, intending to explain. I wanted to tell her that of_ course_ I didn't think that was best. I just wanted to give her an out in case _she _felt uncomfortable. Before I could start, Bella took a deep breath. I froze, analyzing her expression.

Bella looked devastated. "Excuse me!" She mumbled before extricating herself from my arms. She ran from the room, letting out a small sob.

Huh?

I turned to Emmett. "What did I say?"

Rosalie was the one who answered. "There's something you need to understand about Bella, Edward," She said gently, rubbing my shoulder.

"She's…unconfident. More than that, she's…" Rosalie didn't continue.

"Broken," Emmett finished, looking sad. "She's broken no matter how hard she'll try to hide it, she's broken. God, my baby sister's broken."

I looked at Emmett, shocked to see his eyes shining with tears. He wiped them angrily.

"I should kill Jacob for this," He growled. Rosalie hugged him, letting go of my shoulder.

"Emmett, baby, its okay," She crooned in his ear. "Bella will be okay…"

I wanted to cry, too. Instead, I put one hand on Emmett's shoulder and the other on Rosalie's. It was amazing that in my few weeks here, I had such great friends already. I was burning to do something for them.

"Bella will be okay, Emmett," I said solemnly, repeating Rosalie's words. "I'll put her back together, I promise."

Emmett looked at me, now dry-eyed, with hope. "I'm counting on you, Edward."

Rosalie let go of Emmett and hugged me. I stumbled, shocked and slightly uncomfortable at the contact. "You're a good guy" Rosalie said fiercely.

"Put Bella back together."

With that, I left the room to find Bella. I had to put her back together, to turn all her tears into laughter. I had to erase her worries about not being good enough.

But how could I do that if I thought _I _wasn't good enough? Worse than that, I _knew_ I wasn't good enough. I was too dorky and inexperienced for beautiful Bella. How could I make Bella feel good about herself? I didn't feel that great about myself.

I wasn't comfortable around girls, not really. That kiss was great, but I don't know what had gotten into me. It seemed that every time I got close to a girl, Esme's words of treating women with respect sounded through my ears. I could never take advantage of any girl. No wonder Emmett didn't punch me for liking his baby sister; he encouraged me.

All the same, though, I did make a promise. A promise to make Bella feel loved and wanted.

I had to try. Bella was too amazing to be sad. She was too good to feel bad. I could do that, couldn't I? Could I?

I had to be honest with myself. I wasn't trying to make Bella feel better because I had respect for Emmett, or because I promised Rosalie. I was going to make Bella feel wanted because that's what she deserved. I was going to find Bella because it hurt to be away from her. I knew I couldn't bear to fail to put Bella back together again.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

_**Bella Swan**_

I was the epitome of childish. I was hiding in a small hallway closet. Yes, a closet. _Bella, you're one of the most immature people in the planet._ My conscience was having no mercy.

_Shut up!_ I wailed in my head between my sobs. I couldn't get Edward's stinging rejection out of my head.

_We could stage a breakup._

No one wanted me.

Suddenly, the closet door opened, with Edward looking shocked down at me.

"Bella…?"

I turned away from him, crying more. I waited for him to pull me out of the closet.

He didn't. He got into the closet too, closing the door behind him. Edward squeezed next to me, sitting down with difficulty. He turned me so I faced him, and I was grateful for the dark. I waited for him to speak.

"Bella, I don't want to fake a break up with you. In fact, I want to go out for real." Edward took a deep, shaky breath, and continued. "Bella, I think you're gorgeous. I think you're smart and kind and just…perfect. Bella, you're perfect."

I froze. My heart skipped a couple beats, and my stomach plummeted. He wanted to go out with me? No, he didn't. He…didn't like me. I didn't like him that way, either.

Then why was I sitting in a closet crying over him?

I swallowed hard, preparing myself for the incredibly stupid thing I was about to do.

"I…Thank you, Edward. But, um…I'd really prefer if we just pretended to go out instead of…actually…going out…I'm sorry…!"

Edward stood up suddenly, grabbing my hand and kicking the door of the closet open. I whimpered, frightened. He dragged me out of the closet, flinging me out into the hallway. For the first time since I met him, he was angry. At me.

"I don't understand what you want, Bella, I really don't. Here you're sitting here crying because you think I rejected you, which I _didn't, _then I come tell you that I freaking _like _you and you reject me? I don't get it! What do you want?"

I stared, flinching when he grabbed my shoulders. He sank down to the floor with me, abruptly looking hurt. Betrayed. I'd done this to him.

I put my hands on the sides of his face involuntarily. I kissed his cheek, then his other cheek. I spoke with my lips on the tip of his nose.

"Edward, you are the best guy I've ever met. I…I have to be honest with you. I really don't know what I want. I'm not ready. But I…I _like _you. I…I'm sorry…"

And then, my mind wasn't in control of my body at all. My lips on his nose abruptly dropped, and then I was kissing his lips. Roughly, desperately.

Edward froze, shocked. Then he responded, pulling my face closer to his. I didn't mind, I _wanted_ to be closer. I couldn't get enough of his lips, the taste overwhelmed me, and suddenly I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe…

"Bella! Bella, wake up!" Edward's voice was calling me from somewhere far. I blinked, trying to remember where I was.

"What…happened?" I managed to mutter out.

"Oh, Bella," Edward sighed. "You fainted. I'm never kissing you again…"

I blushed, remembering. "Oh, yes, you are," I said. I pulled him down to me, and kissed him chastely. Edward grinned, and then abruptly sobered.

"Bella…Don't you think we should talk?" Edward asked nervously.

I sighed. "We already talked."

Edward sat down next to me. "No, _you_ already talked. Now I'm going to talk and you will listen." He commanded. I looked at him.

He seemed to gather his courage for a second. "I know you don't know what you want. And I'm okay with that. I'll…I'llwaitforyou." He rushed out.

"What was that?" I asked, tilting my face to the side. Edward blushed.

"I said I'll wait…for you."

I was stunned. Was Edward an angel? Suddenly I wasn't sure.

"Thank you" I whispered.

"Friends?" He asked, offering me his hand. I took it.

"Friends." I agreed. "For now." I mumbled. Edward smiled.

We chatted for the next couple hours, right there on the carpet.

Suddenly, we both jumped as the front door slammed.

"Alice and Jasper" Edward mumbled. He jumped up, taking me with him.

"Quick, in the closet" We hid in the closet, eavesdropping on the two. After a moment, Alice spoke.

"Aw, Jazzy, I had a great time tonight. I love you!" Alice said.

Jasper chucked. "I love you too, my little pixie."

I could only imagine what happened then, because after a moment Alice and Jasper both started moaning.

"Mmm, Jasper…" Alice breathed. I stifled a giggle when Edward tensed beside me.

"Let's take this into the bedroom, sweetheart." Jasper said huskily. I stuffed my fist into my mouth to keep from laughing. I had never heard Jasper act like that. I listened for Alice's reply.

"Okay, honey. Let me put my shoes in the closet first."

Me and Edward both stiffened. The closet?

Oh shit.

Alice's heeled footsteps came closer and closer to us, then stopped, the door opening slowly. I held my breath.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The high pitched scream brought Jasper running, his hair sticking up where Alice obviously put her hands. It became too much; I cracked up, sinking to the floor laughing.

"What are you two doing in the closet?"

Edward stiffened at the sight of Jasper.

"What were you going to take into the bedroom, Jasper?" Edward retorted.

Jasper blushed tomato red, and Alice giggled.

"Hehe…um…Alice's…coat? Yeah! Alice's coat. I didn't want it to get wrinkled on the couch where she always throws it…heh…please don't kill me" Jasper pleaded. Edward's lips twitched, fighting a smile. He pretended to be mad.

"Don't you _dare_ think about getting…fresh with my sister!"

Alice laughed, pulling me up from the floor. "Edward, calm down. Why don't you go check on Emmett and Rose?"

I was distracted. "Are they still here?" It had been hours since I had seen them.

I grabbed Edward's hand, walking to his room. "Maybe they're in here," I said, pushing the door open. Alice and Jasper followed, still laughing.

Emmett and Rosalie were here, all right. They were on Edward's bed, making out.

My eyes went wide as a purr broke from Rosalie's throat. Edward clapped a hand to his forehead. "Not you, too!"

"Hm?" Emmett broke away from Rosalie and looked around, grinning when he saw Edward. "Hey, Edward! Picking up some tips?"

Jasper laughed. "Shut up, Emmett. We actually have a problem we wanted to tell you guys about."

I looked at Jasper. "What?"

Alice took a breath. "We've all been invited to a party. It's a…couple's party."

Emmett was puzzled. "So what?"

I think I understood, though.

Jasper looked at me and Edward meaningfully. They've invited…you and Edward. Together."

Rosalie sat up, fixing her hair. "But they can't go to a couple's party! There'll be making out and…all sorts of stuff they won't be able to handle unless they're actually going out."

Alice spoke up. "That's the point. Leah's hosting it. She invited them just to see if Edward and Bella were really a couple. They have to go."

Edward looked at me. "So…what are you going to do?" Emmett asked.

I looked at Edward, feeling more confident when he nodded at me. I knew we could handle this. And, it might help me decide what i wanted from Edward. And give me the courage to take the first step.

"We're going to go." I announced.

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_Hey! I'm back from my vacation, it was super fun. now you have your chapter!  
_

_Um...so, on a note. I actually reaaaaally don't like this chapter. At all. I don't know why I feel so bad about it. _

_Please leave me some feedback? Tell me how I can make it better. Thanks, guys! I love you allll.  
_


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